Meet Paul Steijns

Paul Steijns recently joined Qonnect as Operations Director. He brings extensive leadership experience, having worked in management roles across various industries since 1997. Since early 2020, he has been active in this sector, with a strong focus on organisational structure, process improvement and long-term growth.

At Qonnect, Paul is responsible for strengthening the non-commercial operational side of the organisation and for executing the strategy that was recently approved by the shareholders. We asked him some questions about his role, his priorities for the next few months and how Qonnect is preparing its organisation for the future.

What’s your main focus for the next few months?

“My main contribution in the coming period will be executing the strategy we have defined and which recently has been approved by our shareholders. I am responsible for leading all non-commercial operational activities. I’m involved in areas such as HR, IT, finance, supply chain and logistics. By staying involved and keeping oversight in these areas, we give Managing Director Daan Schrijen more space to focus on commercial work and relationships.

In recent weeks, my focus has been and will be on the internal organisation. Qonnect employees are the connecting force for our customers, and they need reinforcement, structure and better support.”

How will you contribute to further professionalisation and growth at Qonnect?

“I have been working in different leadership roles and industries since 1997. Since early 2020, I have been active in the riveting industry. Naturally, this is too short a period to have deep, product-specific knowledge. My role is therefore mainly focused on structuring and improving the organisation from a strategic and staffing perspective.

Process improvement is part of who I am, and I get energy from enabling people to perform at their best and from achieving ambitious goals together. The group that Qonnect is part of is currently in a growth phase, where this approach is essential to upgrade to the next level. Cooperation with Feifar within the group plays an important role in this.”

What do you see as the key strategic pillars for the coming months?

“The coming months are crucial for preparing and building the foundation for our future. One important focus is the selection of a new ERP system, which supports core processes such as accounting and logistics, followed by the start of its implementation.

Alongside ERP, we will also implement CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software. This will allow us to better record what existing and potential customers need and how we meet those needs, enabling us to support them more effectively.

We are also preparing our new test laboratory in terms of space, processes and procedures, while awaiting the delivery of the ordered equipment. This will be an important step forward in improving the overall customer experience.

In addition, closer cooperation with Feifar in Austria is an important pillar. Finally, we have made a significant investment that will allow us, from the second quarter of 2026 onwards, to perform extensive testing on incoming and outgoing products. This will help us safeguard our high-quality standards even better.”

How will customers and partners notice or experience these developments?

“In the short term, our business partners will likely notice that we are clearer about what we do and do not want. Because of this focus, customers will, in the medium term, experience that we are better able to support them with improved delivery times, performance and product quality.

Our suppliers will notice that we want to work with them in a closer but more focused way, aimed at creating added value for customers. Our employees will have better systems that help them support customers faster and more effectively. With all of this, we aim to sustainably improve the Qonnect experience.”

Which market developments are shaping the industry, and how does Qonnect navigate these changes?

“Our industry is going through a strong consolidation phase. Smaller companies are closing down or being acquired by larger players. At the same time, there is a lot of uncertainty about the future, partly due to geopolitical tensions and technological developments.

Qonnect wants to clearly position itself as a reliable partner and a stable factor in this environment. Large organisations are sometimes too focused on short-term financial targets. This can lead to difficult situations for customers, for example when inventory levels are reduced at the end of the year and delivery issues arise at the start of the new year.

At Qonnect, we aim to make balanced decisions. Profit must contribute to continuity and growth, but we are willing to invest cash in inventory to support our customers during peak demand at the beginning of the year. Our shareholders fully support this long-term approach. Qonnect therefore focuses on building sustainable customer relationships by continuously looking for added value together.”

Finally, what would you like to tell customers and potential partners about Qonnect?

“Until now, Qonnect was often the backup option — customers came to us when existing suppliers failed. We are now working hard to move from being a backup supplier to becoming the main supplier for both existing and new customers.

Through our services before, during and after sales, we differentiate ourselves from competitors. In addition, we are working closely with our partners to make our future tools distinctive. With a new tool range, we want to stand out in terms of quality, speed, recognisability, functionality and pricing. This may seem like an impossible task, but it is something we are all working on with great enthusiasm.”

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